The Last Love Of Arthur Morgan

Meet the Family

The next afternoon, Lorna, Arthur and Lily, drove out to her family home in Fresno, an hour outside of The Harper's ranch. Lorna was nervous about the meeting, because like Mary said, her family wasn't exactly nice to people beneath them. 

She knew Arthur wasn't beneath them, in fact, he was above them. Unlike her family, he owned up to his mistakes and his past. Come to think of it, she didn't know why she was even bringing them to meet her family.

"We should go back." 

Arthur turned to Lorna."Why?"

She shook her head."It's a mistake. They aren't nice people, Arthur. They won't approve of you and-"

"I have my ways of charmin' rich folk."

"To rob them, yes. But you aren't doing that." She rubbed her fingers over Lily's head."They aren't even the rich folks you robbed, they...Oh God." She bit her lip and looked away.

"What's wrong?" He questioned.

"I wasn't born in California. I was born in Georgia." She swallowed."I was young. Maybe three or four when my father said we were going to California. So we packed up our entire plantation and moved out West. Arthur...our entire plantation came with us."

The news that she wasn't a native of California didn't necessarily shock him, he's lied numerous times about where he was from - hell, he sometimes forgot where he was born. It was the lying part that he didn't like. What was she so afraid of?

 His brow furrowed."I don't understand."

"My father owned slaves, Arthur."

Arthur swallowed and took his hand off of her arm. She lied to him yet again. But he understood why she did it this time, because slavery wasn't something to be proud of. And from the looks of it, she didn't seem particularly happy about that part of her life. 

He glanced over at her again and saw she was biting her lip, he placed his hand back on her arm and gave a squeeze.

"That's your folks, that ain't you."

She heaved a sigh."There's so much more, Arthur."

"Tell me." 

She frowned."My mother hated my father for keeping slaves; she was a Northerner through and through. But he wouldn't listen to her, so if she couldn't make him see it her way, she decided to treat them with the upmost respect that they deserved."

"Sounds like a fine woman."

"She was." She paused."When she got sick, she charged Rose to be my caregiver. My father was furious, but seeing how I was already attached to Rose and she to me, he granted her permission. I was seven."

"I'm assumin' there's more to the story than just that." Arthur snapped the reins.

Lorna nodded."Because of my mother, they loved working for my father - long after they were freed, they stayed. But after she died, most of them left. All except a few."

Arthur nodded and looked off to the side, watching the scenery pass by. He was happy that she finally told him the truth, but still sore that she lied to him, when he's been nothing but honest with her. 

"When did you plan on tellin' me this?"

"I didn't think I'd ever have to."

He snorted."You're my wife. I think I should know 'bout my in-laws, regardless if I meet 'em or not."

"You're right, I'm sorry."

He waved his hand."Alright so, your family was slave owners, now they're Tobacco farmers?"